Counting Stars
by Reda
Summary: With Goku back from the dead, the Son Family can finally be a nice full family of four in their little house in the country. Little moments abound as Goten clings, Gohan asks for girl advice, and Chi-Chi tries to stand back so the boys can form bonds with their father. At least Goku knows how to handle the attention.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:** Just thought of this. Since I haven't been writing much fanfic b/c of both NaNoWriMo (my original novel writing month lol) and my latest AMV work, well, I decided to do a challenge to myself for the week of Thanksgiving. (Yeah, I'm American, and it's a holiday week). Anywho. Gonna celebrate it with some Son Family ficlets / drabbles all week. Lemme repeat that. These will be short, short fics, but one a day. For the week.

Enjoy~

 **Pairing:** Goku x Chi-Chi

 **Other Characters:** Goten

 **Words:** 815

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 **Thanksgiving Week Special Challenge – Day 1 : Morning**

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Chi-Chi opened her eyes slowly to the light of the morning sunrise and the sound of her husband snoring in bed beside her. She smiled softly as she turned over on her side, resting an elbow on the pillow so she could lift her head and watch him sleep. He was back. After seven years of being alone, of his side of the bed being cold and empty, now he was here again and still sleeping with his carefree sprawled position, the covers barely covering him.

With a short, quiet giggle, she leaned over to kiss his forehead, smiling at the way his eyes scrunched up in his sleep at the touch. When his dark eyes opened, she laughed again because of the confused, bleary look in his half-awake gaze. "Good morning, Goku."

"Hm," he hummed, blinking a few times before his gaze focused on her and he smiled back. "'Morning, Chi!"

His hand flashed into movement before she could think, and she found her lips inches from his own – that is, until their bedroom door slammed open unexpectedly and a small figure darted into the bed without warning. "Daddy's awake!"

Chi-Chi pulled back as her husband was unceremoniously tackled by their youngest son, giggling softly at the surprised yelp from Goku. She was used to Goten's boisterous attitude in the morning. Goku was not. But that didn't stop him from laughing as soon as he caught up to the fact that their boy was now hugging him and clinging tightly even in bed. It didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around the boy in response, either.

"Hey, squirt," Goku said. "Were you waiting for me or something?"

Goten nodded, still clinging as Goku sat up in bed, his face buried in his father's shirt. "You promised."

"Huh?" Goku blinked, tilting his head. "I promised what?"

Pulling back, Goten pouted up at his father, looking indignant at the idea of Goku forgetting such an important thing. "You said you'd take me fishing. Like you used to do with Gohan."

Silence rocked between them for a moment, and Chi-Chi sighed as she rolled off the bed on her side. Goten pouted further as he sat in his father's lap and waited for Goku to confirm the promise. Whereas Goku was blinking up at the ceiling like he was trying to find the memory of saying something about fishing. It must have been something he said off-handedly. Chi-Chi certainly couldn't remember the little detail.

Well, best to save her husband from accidentally disappointing their youngest son. "Goten, you know it's only your father's first day back. He's probably still tired from all that fighting yesterday, and -"

"Oh, no, it's all right, Chi-Chi," Goku said, interrupting her, but sending her a quick grateful glance as if he knew exactly what she was doing, before he turned attention to the frowning boy in his arms. "Goten, let's go ahead and have breakfast first. We'll have plenty of time for fishing after we eat, okay?"

The smile lit up Goten's face and the glomp he gave his father made Chi-Chi's heart melt as she watched on. "Yay! All right! I'll go get ready then."

Hopping out of his father's arms, Goten ran around the bed to exit the bedroom. As the pitter-patter of his feet echoed through the house, Goku turned a grin to Chi-Chi. Making his children happy always put a grin on his face, and on hers, too, when she had the privilege of watching their interactions. She was glad that Goten could accept him so quickly and easily, and she had to wonder if Goku had worried about such a thing or not. There was something in his gaze she couldn't quite read…

Before either of them could comment, though, Goten suddenly popped back into the room, his energy rushing around him to indicate he'd flown through the house again. She'd have to have another talk with him about that – "Hey, Dad, you know what?"

Tilting his head, Goku blinked, barely phased by the sudden appearance this time. "What, Goten?"

A wide grin split her youngest's face. "You're just as awesome as Gohan said you were."

The boy didn't stick around for a response, flying off in a rush down the hallway. She still had half a mind to shout at him for breaking the rules, but a glance to her husband made the words die in her throat. Goku was staring up at her with the same wide grin on his face, the covers and sheets bundled around his crossed legs. The strange something she'd seen in his gaze before was gone and in its place was the same gleeful expression mirroring Goten's.

Her heart warmed at the sight and she fell back on the bed to have that morning kiss they missed earlier because of their son's sudden interruption. "Welcome back, Goku."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes:** Don't talk to me about timing and ages. I've never been good with that sort of thing and Super has me all sorts of confused. Just enjoy the moment ~

 **Pairing:** Goku x Chi-Chi

 **Other Characters:** Gohan, Goten

 **Words:** 763

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 **Thanksgiving Week Son Family Fic Special – Day 2: Girls**

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The air was crisp, the wind gentle if cool, the leaves shaking in the tree above as they each desperately tried to hang on. Although the natural smells of the different trees in the forest permeated the air, Goku could still pick out the sweet earthy scent of his wife. The one that reminded him of spring time and blooming flowers around an apple tree in a field far back in his memory. She had fallen asleep against him, but he was content to sit here for however long she wanted to nap. He could sit here and watch Goten run along the ground, chasing bugs with a net, feet crinkling along the fallen colored leaves – and sometimes lifting above the ground in his effort to continue his chase.

After Majin Buu, the days had passed almost how they used to, reminding him of times when Gohan was young, when it was just their family having a good time in their little country corner of the world. The lack of training was kind of boring, though. And the fact that Chi-Chi had gotten him to start working the fields instead of something he really wanted, but he understood how much the family needed him now so he had no problem working for her (and catching a few moments training in the fields anyway).

"Hey, Dad."

He turned his head to focus on his first born son. Gohan was close to finishing his schooling, and even when they had little family outings like this he still brought along a book for study purposes. Chi-Chi had really gotten him into the habits she'd always wanted him to have, and although Goku would have liked to see his son more interested in the martial arts he was still proud of what he had become.

"Yeah?"

Setting his book to the side, Gohan faced him, and then glanced down almost immediately, cheeks hinting a small spurt of a blush. "Uhm. I didn't want to ask this with Mom awake, but uh – what made you decide to marry her?"

"Huh?" Goku found himself blinking back and trying to process the request, turning his focus to his sleeping wife and how she still had her latest sewing project in her hands even now. As he watched her resting peacefully, he thought back to when they'd fought at the World's Martial Arts Tournament all those years ago. He smiled at the memories. "To tell the truth, I didn't really understand what marriage was back then."

"You didn't?" Gohan asked. "But -"

Goku laughed, eyes still on Chi-Chi as he ran a hand gently through her hair. "But I guess when I look back on it, I'm glad I did. She was somehow different from everyone else I knew. And she chased me down to the tournament because I'd promised to her marry her back when we were kids. She was so mad 'cause I forgot. I kinda like that about her."

"Huh?" Gohan said, leaning in closer. "You like her cause she gets mad?"

Goku chuckled as he lifted his head to stare up at the sky between the few shaking leaves still left on the tree. "Yes and no. I mean, you like Videl, don't you?"

A quick glance to his son showed Gohan's face was clearly red even as he kept it lowered in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Uhm. Okay. I see what you mean."

With another chuckle, Goku reached out to squeeze his son's shoulder, noticing how firm and tense it was underneath his hand. "Hey, son, don't be embarrassed. If you want to ask her to marry you, then go for it. You know a lot more about this stuff than I did at your age so I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

A quiet moment settled between them, and Goku kept his hand on Gohan's shoulder, watching the dark eyes of his son flick around as he thought about his words. It was a little strange to be giving advice about girls, but he supposed that was something parents did, even if he didn't really know what the best thing to say was. Chi-Chi would have done better, he was sure, but Gohan had wanted to ask him so -

"Hey, Dad," Gohan said, lifting his head and smiling, the tension easing out of his shoulders as he did so. "Thanks."

Goku smiled, not knowing what he said that could have been so helpful, but glad that he could still connect with his first born even after all these years. "Yeah. Anytime."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes:** My humor is weird. I'm not as funny as I think I am. But nonetheless, this was still fun.

 **Pairing:** Goku x Chi-Chi

 **Other Characters:** Goten

 **Words:** 1,007

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 **Thanksgiving Week Son Family Fic Special – Day 3: Games**

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After finishing up the last of his meal, Goten hopped down from his seat, having to adjust the cushion to put it back into place once his feet were on the ground. One day he wouldn't need the cushion anymore and the table wouldn't be too high for him. One day, he'd grow up to be as tall as his dad and brother. And Trunks wouldn't be taller than him anymore. One day.

"Whew! That was great, Chi-Chi." His dad said, also finishing his food, handing off his last of several bowls to his mom. "I'm stuffed!"

Since Gohan had already left the table and was now in his room studying for some super special important test for his school, Goten ran over to his dad and tugged on his pants leg to get his attention. "Hey, Dad."

"Yeah?"

His Dad was always smiling whenever he asked for attention, and it always made Goten smile back, no matter what he was about to ask. "Wanna play that game with me now?"

Goku blinked a few times, glanced over to Chi-Chi, and then pushed away from the table. "Yeah, sure."

"Goku," his mom interrupted, holding a dish in her hand and clearly trying not to smile too big herself. "Don't keep him up all night."

"Aw, Chi-Chi, it won't -"

"And please try not to break anything this time."

Bringing both hands to his mouth to hide his laughter, Goten looked on as his father gave a sheepish grin to his mother. Last time they played video games all night long until the sun came up the next morning, and the time before that Goku accidentally broke one of the controllers by pushing the buttons too hard. The games and system were all from Goten's best friend, Trunks, so it wasn't hard to fix, but his mom really didn't like having to explain how it was Goku's fault every time they needed it repaired or replaced.

"We'll be careful, Chi-Chi," Goku said eventually, putting a hand on Goten's head and ruffling his hair a little. "Won't we, squirt?"

Dropping his hands so his laughter could spill free, Goten nodded. "Yeah, I'll be super careful."

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes and then sighed. "It's not you I'm worried about, sweetie, but go on. Have fun."

With a wide grin on his face, Goten grabbed his father's hand and tugged him off toward his room. A small television was set up on his desk and an older game system with two controllers was also all set and ready for any two people to come in and play. Most of the time, he played with Gohan, or Trunks, but when neither one of them were available, he grabbed his dad and got all the time he wanted. Because his dad never said no whenever he asked for something, especially if it involved spending time with him.

As he crawled on the bed and tossed a controller to his father, he tried not to show too much excitement. Ever since his father came back, they'd had the best time together. Once Mom got Dad working, though, their time had become fewer and farther between, but night time was always free. So after dinner, he always asked for some game or other, and his dad always gave in. It was nice and fun and everything he always imagined a father would do – on top of how awesome it was that his dad was the strongest guy in the whole universe, too.

The fighting game he chose wasn't particularly difficult, at least, not for him. His dad seemed to have trouble with the controls, though, no matter how many times they played. Which made it fun. He liked being able to teach his dad – who knew everything about fighting – all the little cheats and special moves for different characters in a game. And it was fun to watch him learn something – and not so fun when Goku started spamming the same move because he knew nothing else.

Of course Goten usually won in the end. Just like tonight. Five matches, five wins. After the last one, his dad just laughed and tossed the controller in the air. "Well, guess I'll never get the hang of this thing. You sure you don't wanna go outside and spar a little for real?"

Eyes lighting up, Goten dropped his own controller and jumped up on the bed. "Yeah! That'd be -"

A sudden crash interrupted him, and he joined his father in turning wide eyes to the small TV. The small TV that now had a game controller smashed in the center of it. Apparently, when Goku tossed the controller, he'd accidentally angled the throw toward the television and now – well -

"Don't tell your mother."

Goten stared back at his father's gaze with wide eyes, blinking slowly before giving a nod. He wouldn't tattle-tale on his dad, but -

"Goku, I swear if that's -" His mom was already opening the door and seeing the results of the loud sound for herself. "Goku…."

His father yelped and sprang behind him, as if Goten could somehow save him from Chi-Chi's ire. "Chi-Chi, I can explain."

Holding his hands up for his father's sake, Goten did his best. "Mom, it was an accident."

"I know," Chi-Chi said, glaring at both of them, then the broken television set, before setting her hands on her hips. "Bed time. Both of you. Now."

Although Goten should have been upset at being put to bed early, he couldn't help but giggle at having his mom send his dad to bed, too. It was times like this when he knew no matter how powerful his dad was, his mom was always going to be the real strongest in the universe. And there was something funny about the way his dad whined and did what she said anyway. Gohan hadn't ever mentioned stuff like this when it came to stories of his parents, but he sure was glad to be able to see it anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes:** I may expand on this concept at another time. Well, there will be a part 2. I wanted to do both today but...writing has been so difficult for some reason.

 **Characters:** Goku, Gohan

 **Words:** 757

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 **Thanksgiving Week Son Family Fic Special – Day 4: Weddings (part 1)**

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Gohan tried to quell his beating heart as he broke away from his bride and made a beeline for the punch table. His thoughts were making him dizzy. Everything was making him dizzy. Though, if he were being honest, he was probably a little dehydrated from all the work and worry. Had he even had a glass of water today? He couldn't remember.

His hands shook as he poured himself some punch and turned around after a few gulps – and a refill – to stare at the gorgeous bride across the way. His gorgeous bride. Standing there in the sunlight, chatting with a smile on her face, all dolled up and perfect in her dress, and the way her hair was done up, and the way she glanced over at him and giggled as if his flushed state was something to laugh at… He downed the rest of his punch and then turned around for another refill, his face heating. He could _not_ focus on anything except her, and it was making it hard to think straight.

"Hey, Gohan."

He nearly jumped at his dad's voice, and he did somehow manage to lose his grip on his punch glass, watching it fall into the punch bowl and groaning as he watched it bob in the foamy liquid. "Hey, Dad."

If he wanted to pull the glass out, he'd need to be super careful. Even if Mr. Satan had bought the tux for him, he still didn't want to get it wet. The less cleaning needed the better. So, he ignored his father's hovering figure beside him and very slowly, very delicately grabbed the edge of the punch cup with his fingers pulled it free of the punch without spilling a drop, though his shoulders refused to release the tension.

"Gohan," his dad said, still standing next to him. "What are you still nervous for?"

Gohan released a breath and turned to face his father, who was standing there with his hands in his pockets, even if he was dressed up almost as nicely as Gohan himself. The carefree attitude was still there, as were the wide contagious grins, though right now Goku was staring at him with a somewhat blank face, eyes blinking as he waited for an answer. Setting the stupid punch cup to the side, Gohan glanced around, caught Videl smiling at someone mid conversation, and instantly stared at the floor, his face heating.

"I..I'm not nervous."

"You sure?" Goku questioned. "You definitely seem worried about something. I thought the hard part was over."

Releasing another tightly held breath, Gohan lifted his head to try a laugh this time. It didn't work. "Ah hah, well, I – I'm worried about the dance."

"Really?" His dad exclaimed, a little too loudly for his taste, but thankfully not drawing any attention. "Why?"

Putting a hand behind his head, Gohan glanced over to Videl again but this time didn't glance away. "I just – I don't want to mess up. Not with everyone watching and -"

To his surprise, Goku actually laughed at him. "Son, you don't need to impress anyone."

"Yeah, but -"

Before he could explain his worries, his father set a hand on his shoulder and forced his attention to move away from his bride for a moment, forced the attention on his warm, relaxing smile. "Trust me. It won't matter how good or bad you dance. The only person here who you need to worry about impressing at all is Videl, and she made it this far putting up with you and your crazy family, right?"

When his father sent him a knowing wink, Gohan glanced down and scratched at his heated cheek. "Yeah, I guess, but -"

"She's going to love your dancing no matter what, Gohan," Goku said as he squeezed his shoulder. "Your mother appreciated the little I could manage for ours. Just make sure she smiles a lot. Everything else will fall into place."

Why did his dad always know exactly what to say to make him feel better? It never felt like the best advice in the world, but there was always something true about what he said. True enough to make him realize he was being silly fretting over something as trivial as a dance. Of course Videl was the only one who mattered, and focusing on her smile was the easiest way to relax. Staring over there now, he felt a thousand times better as he watched her laugh with her friends. Yeah, keeping her smiling was the best part.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes:** Yeah, Day "5". I promise I started this the other day; it's been slow writing for the past few days, sheesh, and I think I'm going to stop here because I ran out of week for my challenge. But it's cool. I may still throw a few bonus Son Family fics up as I get inspiration. Writing super short fics is fun. Thank you for the reviews, guys! They mean so much!

 **Pairing:** Goku x Chi-Chi

 **Other Characters:** Goten, Bulma

 **Words:** 986

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 **Thanksgiving Week Son Family Fic Special – Day 5: Weddings (part 2)**

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Chi-Chi stood near the fruit table, holding a stick of chocolate covered fruits in one hand as she chatted with Bulma about the wedding. Bulma complimented the wine choice. Chi-Chi appreciated the attention to decorative detail, even in the little things she hadn't decided on or suggested. There was a minor martial arts theme – because both Videl and Gohan had grown up fighting and had participated in a tournament – but for the most part everything was set up like she would expect from a normal, rich family. Even if both of their families were anything but normal.

At least the two of them could pretend to be a bit more normal than the rest of them. As Gohan found his bride and the two prepared for their first dance, Chi-Chi couldn't decide if she wanted to smile or cry again at the sight of her oldest son linking arms with his new wife. Videl's dress was absolutely beautiful and Gohan's tux matched up well, reminding her of his father as they held on to each other and stared at each other as if nothing else existed in the world -

"Hey, Chi-Chi, these are pretty good."

If the voice didn't alert her to the presence of her husband, the feel of his hand around hers most certainly did. Turning her head, she caught his grin as he leaned over to nab the last piece of fruit on the stick she'd been holding onto this whole time. She should have known better holding food out and not eating it; Goku was bound to show up and steal it eventually.

Not that she minded, of course. "Goku, please tell me you've done more than eat this entire time."

Goku simply shrugged at her, looking at least a little apologetic as he chewed at the food in his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't decide to talk with his mouth full, content to stare back at her with a sheepish look in his eyes. His hand squeezed hers lightly before letting go and the long sigh died on her lips.

"It's not like it matters much, Chi-Chi," Bulma said from where she stood nearby, holding a wine glass in between her fingers with proper decorum. "There's plenty to go around, even with all the Saiyan appetites we have here."

Before she could comment more on the subject, one such boy with a Saiyan appetite ran in between them, clinging to his father's legs and glancing behind in the direction he came from. When she realized Goten was breathing heavy and that his nice clothes had been ruined with layers of mud, Chi-Chi crossed her arms and frowned.

"Goten," she said sternly. "What sort of trouble are you-"

"Shh, Mom," Goten said, waving her off without even looking at her, peering around his father's legs. "She'll find me."

Although Goku seemed content to stand there and let Goten do what he wanted, he did at least speak up when their son dropped such a strange statement. "Who is she? And why are you hiding from her, Goten?"

"It's Marron, Dad, and it's a game. Trunks started it."

Before either of them could respond, Bulma downed the rest of her wine and then set the glass on the table. Apparently, she'd been listening in. "Oh, he did, did he? So that's where he ran off to. Excuse me."

Chi-Chi didn't bother to watch Bulma leave, instead finding her attention grabbed by her son yet again. Goten had turned at the sound of Bulma's voice and now his eyes were wide as he _did_ watch her walk off.

"Oh man, Trunks is gonna kill me for that."

"Nevermind that, Goten," Chi-Chi said, finally getting the dark little eyes to look up at her. "Why are you two hiding from Marron? Don't you three normally enjoy playing together?"

Goten faced her completely, hands clenching up by his sides, eyes growing wide. "Because Krillin said we might one day end up marrying her. I don't wanna marry Marron, mom. That's gross. We're just friends. But Krillin said sometimes you end up marrying your best friend, and I -"

While Chi-Chi tried to keep up with all the childish fears, Goku interrupted with his easygoing laughter. Squatting down to be closer to his son's level, he reached out and ruffled their boy's hair to get him to turn around. When she saw the look in her husband's eyes, Chi-Chi decided to hang back and let Goku handle this one.

Leaving the boys to talk about friendship and marriage and silly childish views, Chi-Chi instead turned her attention back to her oldest. Gohan had grown up so much. Memories of his younger years flooded her until she felt the tears welling in her eyes. This was the day she'd have to accept him as an adult. The day he'd take his wife to their new home and continue his life without her. She was so happy for him and yet at the same time, it was so hard to let him go.

"Daaaaaaaad, it's not funny," Goten whined, breaking her from her thoughts.

She glanced down to catch Goten's pout and Goku's grin as he looked up at her, eyes shining in the light. A look she could remember seeing when it was just her and him and a younger Gohan. When they would sit outside and Gohan would fall asleep in his father's arms. When Goku would look over at her, much as he was doing now, and smile without saying a word.

She felt her aching heart relax as if the familiar look was all she needed to remind her that even with Gohan leaving the nest, they still had Goten. And even beyond that, once Goten left they would still have each other. And Goku would no doubt continue to look at her with those eyes and that smile for many more years to come.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes:** Okay. I wasn't planning to write anymore Son Family fics, but lol, uhm, this idea just popped into my head and wouldn't go away.

 **Pairings:** Goku x Chi-Chi, Gohan x Videl

 **Words:** 1,050

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 **Counting Stars Bonus Chapter – Babies and Tails**

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Goku yawned as he slouched in the waiting room chair. They'd been here for hours already and he was bored out of his mind. Chi-Chi sat beside him, looking through a magazine of baby clothes. He glanced over at the pages and then slowly looked away. She'd been looking at that for almost the entire time. He still didn't understand what could be so interesting about clothes, especially for a baby that wasn't even born yet.

"Chi-Chi," he whined. "Why is it taking so long?"

She'd been the one to force him here, giving him a break from working so he could be there when their grandchild was born, but the waiting around in the hospital was almost as boring as working the fields. And of course she wouldn't let him train or practice through his kata routines like he'd done when Gohan was being born so many years ago. No, he just had to sit here and stare around the room, watching the people move about the area, hoping every nurse or doctor appearance was the one that would announce the new baby's arrival. So far there'd been no such luck.

"It takes time, sweetheart," Chi-Chi said without looking up from her magazine, as if she'd already patiently answered the question several times already. "You remember Gohan's birth, don't you?"

"Yeah," he mumbled.

With a pout, he leaned back in the cushioned chair and stared up at the ceiling. Gohan had already been allowed back. Which wasn't fair. He remembered being kicked out when Chi-Chi was in labor. But the rest of them weren't allowed until the baby was born, and until Gohan and Videl said they could come back. So, here they waited. All of them.

Well, Vegeta wasn't here. He always got out of doing stuff like this, but Bulma was here with Trunks, who was keeping Goten occupied by playing games around the waiting room. As long as they didn't break anything or cause a ruckus, Chi-Chi didn't seem to mind how much they ran around. Even Krillin was here with his family, and of course Piccolo was hanging around somewhere – Goku couldn't see him, but he could definitely sense the Namekian's ki. That was just like Piccolo to be watching from a distance.

Deciding that he needed to do something besides sit here, Goku pulled himself out of his chair and lifted his arms to stretch them while he yawned once again. Before Chi-Chi could comment on his actions – and before he could plop down to stretch his legs and warm up for some easy exercises – the double doors to the forbidden hallway were suddenly opened and a lady in a nurse outfit came out.

Once she announced that the Son family grandparents could follow her back to Videl's room, Goku rushed over to her side and followed her eagerly. Finally, something to do. Now he could see his grandbaby, satisfy Chi-Chi with enough socializing, and then skip out to train a little while she was preoccupied with the baby. (Of course he _did_ want to see his grandchild but he wasn't as ecstatic as Chi-Chi was about hanging around for so long, especially after the long wait he'd already endured).

When he reached the room, Goku paused in the doorway, the scene set before him causing a memory to crash through and fade against everything around him. Videl was sitting up in the hospital bed, holding a small bundle in her arms, not even paying attention as he walked in. Of course not. Gohan was beside her, looking down at both of them, admiring the child, the life they had created together. Goku could almost see Chi-Chi in the same spot, just like she had been so many years ago, holding baby Gohan and looking at him as he stared at their creation. A soft smile crossed his face, and after a moment to take it all in, Goku walked into the room fully, Chi-Chi now ahead of him and already commenting on the baby girl's wide, curious eyes and whether they favored Gohan's or Videl's.

Letting his smile widen into a deeper grin, Goku stepped over behind his wife and set a hand on her shoulder as he stared at the little bundle in Videl's arms. The little girl wrapped up and snuggling close to her mother. His granddaughter. It was a strange experience, reminding him of Gohan's birth, and yet somehow special in a different way.

But then he blinked as he noticed one thing missing from the familiar scene. "Wait. Where's her tail?"

Chi-Chi elbowed him and he winced as he bent over a little and rubbed at his side. "Goku, honestly, what kind of -"

"Ow, Chi-Chi, I was just curious," he whined, interrupting her. "You guys didn't have it removed already, did you? 'Cause that was really fast if you did."

"Dad," Gohan said, ignoring his wife's wide eyes to address Goku's question. "We didn't remove anything. She wasn't born with one."

Still rubbing his side, Goku blinked at the information. "Huh? Really?"

While Gohan nodded, Videl reached out to him for attention. "Gohan, what is he talking about?"

Grinning wide, Goku held up a finger and leaned over to poke the little girl's pudgy cheek. "All Saiyans are born with a tail. I had one. Gohan had one. It's kind of funny for her not to have one, but I guess she doesn't have enough Saiyan in her. That's okay, though. You'll still be super strong, won't you?"

The girl giggled at the playful touches and Goku grinned back, even as his wife sighed beside him. Babies were so soft and tiny. He'd kind of forgotten because of how many years it'd been since he last saw a newborn, but now he could feel the strange mix of Gohan's ki and Videl's ki bundled together inside this little one. Just like how Gohan and Goten's ki were a mix of his and Chi-Chi's. Nice and warm and something new among all the familiar. Even though the wait had been so incredibly boring, he was glad Chi-Chi had forced him here. He'd have to remember to thank her later; she always did know how to pull him along for the little moments in life he would regret missing otherwise.


End file.
